Plane manufacturer Airbus delivered its first wide-body A330 aircraft from its Tianjin factory on Wednesday, reflecting the planemaker's determination to expand industrial cooperation with China.
Tianjin Airlines is the first customer to receive the plane, and it is the first time for the Chinese carrier to receive such aircraft in China, instead of Toulouse, the headquarters of Airbus.
The aircraft which was assembled and equipped in Toulouse with Chinese and European staff is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines and is configured in two classes with 260 seats.
The factory, Tianjin A330 Completion and Delivery Center, began construction in March last year, covering the aircraft completion tasks including cabin installation, aircraft painting and flight test, as well as aircraft delivery and customer flight acceptance.
The aim behind setting up the delivery center is to provide more tailor-made aircraft to China and the Asia-Pacific region at a faster speed, Airbus said.
The center will have an output of two aircraft per month by 2019, the company said.
So far, there are more than 200 A330 aircraft in service in China, accounting for 55 percent of wide-body fleet operational in China.
In 2015, Chinese carriers signed an order for 75 A330s, and the Tianjin factory will help deliver more aircraft in the near future.
Currently, all the Airbus civil aircraft have parts produced in China, and Chinese companies are an important part of the global industry chain and cover the design, assembly, and delivery.
The total value of industrial cooperation between Airbus and the Chinese aviation industry could reach $1 billion in 2020 from about half a billion dollars in 2015 and over $200 million in 2010.
